This brief statement by the human rights experts including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), UN Committee on the Rights of Child, IE Victor Madrigal Borloz and others, on IDAHOBIT 2020 identifies the key human rights concerns for people with LGBT during the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifies state obligations to protect the rights of LGBT people.
The statement notes that COVID-19 itself and response measures exacerbate existing inequalities and discrimination, and make LGBT people more vulnerable not only to contracting COVID-19, but also to police abuse, arbitrary arrest, ill-health as a result of closures of other health services and other rights abuses. The increased persecution that the pandemic has brought means some states have taken the opportunity to pass discriminatory legislation as well as widespread digital surveillance, all of which may have significant negative impacts on the rights of LGBT people and communities.
"The history of LGBT persons, like others subjected to discrimination and violence, has been one of suffering, endurance and hope - a vital struggle for freedom and equality in the face of singular adversity."
The statement closes by urging states and non-state actors to give visibility to and protect LGBT persons within the context of the pandemic.
